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Parzival
Parzival is a famous epic German poem written by Wolfram Von Eschenbach circa year 1200 about one of Arthur’s knights, Parzival. Parzival is one of many of the expansions of Chretien de Troyes’ unfinished story, Perceval, the Story of the Grail. It provides both a description of the knight’s history along with a conclusion to Parzival's Grail quest. It is noted for introducing the Holy Grail story to German literature, and has been the inspiration for many modern day works including the opera Parsifal by Richard Wagner."Parzival." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. . Author The age of Wolfram von Eschenbach and Gottfried von Strassburg is considered “the high point of the Classical Middle High German Literature” according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Wolfram introduced creativity and imagination into the world of German literature, which inspired his colleagues Gottfried von Strassburg, Hartmann von Aue, and opera writers such as Richard Wagner."German literature." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. Wolfram was born around 1170 in Frankish Eschenbach in Bavaria, and grew up in a relatively poor family. Some speculate that he earned his living as a “wandering minstrel,” until he was noticed by Gottfried von Strassburg (“Bibliotheca Augustana”). Though he grew up penniless, he knew how to read and write in German, and later in French. Some time in his life he went from a street rat to a Bavarian Knight, serving under the court of many princes who were patrons to his epics. His most supportive prince was Hermann of Thuringia, where he wrote the epic Willehalm in his castle. Wolfram died circa 1220 in his hometown, Echenbach."Bibliotheca Augustana." Bibliotheca Augustana. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. . Lesser known works of Wolfram von Eschenbach include Titurel, Willehalm, and many songs or lyric poems (“Bibliotheca Augustana”). Titurel is a continuation of Parzival, which tells the tale of the “tragic love of Sigune”, a side character of Parzival (“Wolfram von Eschenbach”). Willehalm is a historical tale of the crusader Guillaume d’Orange. Each of Wolfram’s songs consists of eight poems. His most famous lyric poem Tagelieder or “Dawn Songs”, describes “the parting of lovers at morning”.“Wolfram von Eschenbach.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. . Summary The story Parzival starts off with the tale of his father Gahmuret. He spent most of his life wandering until he met queen named Belcane. He fell in love with her for a time, but he eventually grew restless. The night he got her pregnant he left to continue fulfill his wanderlust. Gahmuret’s fighting capabilities were unparalleled and he spent some time wandering and winning jousting tournaments. Eventually he entered a competition to win the hand of Herzeloyde, who was recently widowed and the granddaughter of the Gral King. He won the tournament and won her hand. Just as he grew restless with Belcane, Gahmuret quickly felt a need to adventure and left Herzeloyde. Not long after he left, Herzeloyde had a vision that Gahmuret was dead. She was left a pregnant widow much like Belcane. As a result of the cruel way Gahmuret treated Herzeloyde, she decided that her son Parzival should never learn about the way of the knights. She decided that the best thing to do was to exile herself and Parzival deep into a forest. However, one day Parzival stumbled upon a group of knights and was infatuated with the idea of becoming a knight. He told his mother that he longed to become a knight and she tried her hardest to convince him otherwise. There was no stopping Parzival and he soon set out to find Arthur’s Court. Herzeloyde was so consumed by grief that she died on the spot. Parzival soon found himself at Arthur’s castle. Arthur saw that Parzival had potential, so he sent him out to defeat one of his enemies the Red Knight. Parzival defeated the knight and donned his red armor. Although Parzival had proved that he was worthy of fighting against other knights, he had yet to prove that he could act like a knight. In order to be taught the chivalric code of a knight he set out to find his tutor Gurnemanz. Parzival had come a long way from when he left his mother’s home, but he still acted childishly. Gurnemanz taught him the basics of how to be chivalrous and how to joust. Parzival soon proved that his jousting abilities were unmatched just like his father’s had been. Gurnemanz then told him about a queen Condwiramurs whose castle was under siege. Parzival immediately set out to save the queen. Upon arriving at the castle Parzival finds that the population was suffering mightily from the siege. When he finally met the queen he fell in love instantly. However, he felt a duty to save the population of the castle before he would indulge in the beauty of the queen. He met the oppressors on the battlefield, defeated them, and forced them to pledge loyalty to the queen. Not long after Parzival and the queen got married and after some time were able to consummate their marriage. However, just like his father, Parzival soon felt a need to leave and set out on quest to find out how his mother was faring. It was not long after Parzival set out that he found himself lost. One day he was at a lake and he asked a man if there was anywhere he could stay the night. The man directed him to the only castle in the area. The man turned out to be the king of the castle and is referred to as the Fisher King. After Parzival enters the castle he soon finds out that he Fisher King is in bad condition. He takes a seat beside the king and a procession ensues. A Bleeding Lance is brought out first followed by many wonderful objects. The procession culminates with the presentation of the Holy Grail, which is described as a gemstone. Parzival watches the entire procession and goes through the entire feast without saying a word because he did not want to make a fool of himself. When the feast was over Parzival retired to his bedchamber. He did not sleep for long before he woke up and realized that everybody in the castle was gone. While he searched the castle he found one page that scolded him for not asking the Question. Parzival then returns to Arthur’s courts and begins to miss Condwiramirs. His longing for Condwiramirs consumes him to the point that he cannot even fight any more. This persists until he meets Gawain. They set off together in search of quests that were worthy of knights of their prominence. One day when Parzival was in Arthur’s court a strange-looking lady named Kundrie the Sorceress rode in. She accosted Parzival for not having asked the Question and claims that therefore he is a disgrace to the other knights. Parzival then decides to leave to finish the Grail Quest and decides that he will no longer use God as his motivation. Gawain and Parzival begin the quest together, but they soon part ways. Gawain spends most of his time trying to clear his name after he was falsely accused of murder. When the story turns back to Parzival he is struggling with the absence of God. One day he meets a hermit named Trevrizent. Trevrizent teaches Parzival much about life, love, the grace of God, and explains the significance of the Holy Grail. With his new motivation he sets back out to find the Grail. In order to find the Grail Parzival leaves the realm of Arthur. One day he finds himself fighting a knight who seems to be even better at sword fighting than he is. Parizval’s sword breaks during the fight, but his opponent does not slay him. Afterwards they begin to talk and he finds out that the knight, Feirefiz, is his half brother. Together they return to Arthur’s court and find Kundrie the Sorceress has returned. She announces that Parzival has been named the Lord of the Grail. Parzival then begins his journey back to the Grail. On his way back to the Grail, Parzival reunites with his wife Condwiramirs. Feirefiz accompanies Parzival even though he will not be able to see the Grail. However, he is able to see the Grail maiden, who he falls in love with. The poem finishes with an accounting of how the Grail was passed down and states that the Grail has been continuously passed down to this day.Lash, John, and Lydia Dzumardjin. "Parzival - A Synopsis." Metahistory.org. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. . ''Perceval'' It is important to mention what is widely regarded as the first grail narrative when speaking about Parzival. Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval: the story of the Grail set the basic outline for Wolfram's poem in that it essentially tells the same story, only more complete and with more evident thematic messages. Summary Perceval’s journey starts in a remote forest somewhere in Wales. One day Perceval has a chance encounter with a group of knights and decides that it is his destiny to become a knight. His mom vehemently objects and informs him that his father had been one of the greatest knights of all time. Perceval continues on his journey despite his mother’s pleadings, and she falls to the ground in despair. After a short journey Perceval finds himself in King Arthur’s court. Sir Kay fires several jests at him insinuating that he will never become a knight. Perceval finds himself on a journey to defeat the Red Knight that had been annoying King Arthur for some time. On the journey he meets a laughing maiden that prophesizes to him that he will become the greatest knight of all time. After Perceval has proven himself he begins to train under Gornemant, who teaches him the nuances of how to act like a knight. After he has finished his training he sets of to go figure out what happened to his mom. On the way he comes across the Fisher King. That night Perceval finds himself in the midst of a great feast in the Fisher King’s castle. There is a great procession in which the Grail and a bleeding lance are brought out. Perceval finds himself afraid to ask about what he is seeing because he had been warned not to talk too much. Perceval does not ask any questions about the procession. The next morning Perceval wakes up and finds that the castle is empty. Perceval leaves the castle and meets a weeping maiden who reveals to him that he should have asked a question about the grail and the lance. Later Perceval vows to find an explanation for the grail and the lance and finds himself in the midst of a long journey to find an explanation for what he saw in the Fisher King’s castle. After Perceval starts his quest the story does not focus on him as much. Instead the story shifts to Gawain. In the midst of both of their quests the tale abruptly ends without any resolution of their quests.Chrétien de Troyes. Perceval: The Story of the Grail. Trans. Burton Raffel. Milano: Mondadori, 1983. Print. Comparison The similarities between the characters Parzival and Perceval are extensive. *The first would be that both characters grew up isolated from the rest of the world. In both cases this was because the mother felt that her son needed to be kept away from knights. *In both stories the grief that the mother felt when her son set off to become a knight was so great that it caused her to die on the spot. *When Parzival reached the castle he was not taken seriously because he was dressed like a fool and not like a knight. Perceval was not taken seriously because he was unproven. In both cases when they defeated the Red Knight they proved that they were worthy of knighthood. *Even though they were able to prove themselves worthy with the sword they still had a long way to go before they conducted themselves like a knight. In both stories they spent time being tutored in the ways that a knight must act, which is often recognized as the chivalric code. *Pazival and Perceval were both taken to the Fisher King’s castle and witnessed a procession. Although they were very confused by what was going on that they failed to ask the Question that would heal the Fisher King. *In both stories they found out that they failed to ask the question and set out on a quest to find the Grail once again. However, the quest proves to not be straightforward and they spend several years wandering around. In that time they lose their connection to God. Contrast The differences between the two versions stem from the fact that Wolfram was able to finish his story while Chretien did not. The areas that are different are there to help develop the story so that Wolfram can tie everything together at the end. *The first difference is the start of the story. The first third of Wolfram’s story is about Parzival’s father Gahmuret. This story is very significant at the end because Gahmuret has another son besides Parzival, who is critical to the resolution of Wolfram’s book. *The next difference is how Parzival falls in love with Condwiramirs. Wolfram’s version is arguably more of a romance than Chretien’s and Condwiramirs plays a large part in that. Wolfram uses their relationship as what fuels Parzival to search for the Grail after he loses touch with God. *The physical appearance of the Grail may not seem like an important difference, but it paved the way for later grail narratives to make the Grail whatever they saw fit. In Wolfram’s story the Grail is not a platter or chalice, but rather a gemstone. It is also referred to as the Holy Grail while Chretien just refers to it as the Grail.Murphy, G. Ronald. Gemstone Of Paradise: The Holy Grail In Wolfram's “Parzival”: Oxford University Press, 2006. Oxford Scholarship Online. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. *Kundrie the Sorceress plays an important role in Wolfram’s story, while her nameless counterpart plays a less prevalent role in Chretien’s. Wolfram uses Kundrie to spur Parzival to begin his quest for the Grail. Kundrie is also the reason that Parzival no longer believes in God. In addition, Kundrie tells Parzival that he is the next Grail king. *Of course Wolfram’s conclusion to the book is different from Chretien’s because Chretien passed away while writing his, but it still important to note the manner in which he completed his poem. Even though Wolfram tells the story about Gahmuret at the beginning, he does not reference it until the very end of the book when Feirefiz makes an appearance. By telling the story at the beginning Wolfram was able to tie everything together at the end. Even though Chretien did not finish his romance, it was hard to really get a sense of how he was planning to wrap everything up. It almost seemed like he was going to make Gawain the hero at the end instead of Perceval. Wolfram did not take his lead in that regard, and one gets the sense that he only tells Gawain’s story to show that he did not think Gawain deserved the Grail. Motifs Since it’s birth in Chretien de Troyes’ Perceval and up until present day, the original ‘grail narrative’ has seen many motifs added on and associated with it. Without a doubt one of the most influential narratives on modern grail motifs as we now know them, Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival set standards for what to expect from a grail narrative for years to come. The guileless hero Unlike some motifs established in ancient grail narratives, Eschenbach’s Parzival ingrained a motif so strong that it continues to live on some seven hundred odd years later. In Parzival, Eschenbach introduces the idea of the main grail knight being innocent and clueless, almost to a fault. This instance is believed to have been the first mention of a grail night displaying such characteristics making it a wholly original motif in regards to this subject. This motif can be found alive and well in modern day society in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail directed by Terry Gilliam. The stone Now this is not to say that Parzival failed to leave it’s mark on latter literature either, as this next motif is one that is just as, if not more, pertinent than the last when it comes to the evolution of grail lore. When it came to ancient grail narratives, up until Eschenbach’s Parzival, the object of the grail was repeatedly portrayed as a sort of dish or chalice. However in Parzival, Eschenbach flips the script on past motifs and becomes the first poet to illustrate the ‘grail’ as something entirely different, a shiny green stone. The first of it’s kind, Wolfram’s ‘grail’ was a ground breaking motif that paved the way for future stories such as Peredur son of Efrawg to shed a different light on the infamous tale. Legacy Parzival's has had a vast influence in the overall grail legend due to a multitude of factors. As a 13th century text, the effect it had on grail lore is two-fold; lack of many other such narratives at the time helped Parzival to shape the genre as a whole, and the length of time it has existed allows it to continuously influence newer grail stories throughou history. In addition, it is a complete narrative'' with a more direct approach than its predecessor ''Perceval. Clear motifs in the poem created a slightly more defined mold for the narratives to come, contributing to an already growing pattern of composition. ''Parsifal'' In ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' Stuff comparing Monty Python ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' Stuff comparing Harry PotterRowling, J. K.. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. London: Bloomsbury Pub., 1997. Print. References